


thanks for the memories

by inimitabler



Category: Glee
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/F, Ficlet Collection, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 13:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14426079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inimitabler/pseuds/inimitabler
Summary: Just a collection of miscellaneous Faberry ficlets.





	1. Positive

**Positive**

"Mommy, Mommy!" Michael called to the blonde from five feet away.

Quinn chuckled, "Yes?" She lifted the four (" _and a half!"_ he always insisted) year old up, feeling him practically vibrating with excitement.

He lifted up her phone, which she had been looking for, and pointed to it. "Mama," The preschooler announced, and Quinn heard a familiar laugh come from the cell phone.

"Thank you, sweetie," She took the phone out of his hand and began to speak to her wife. "Hey, Rach,"

Rachel spoke ecstatically, " _Quinn, baby, hi! What's up?_ "

"Nothing, really. Just waiting for you to come home and hanging with this little dude," Quinn explained, when Michael squealed, "Hi Mama!"

Rachel giggled, " _Hey Mikey, how are you? Is Mommy playing with your new cars with you?_ " He hummed in response.

Michael had been born just four short years ago, and was essentially the male version of his mom. With short, blonde hair and bright, hazel eyes, he was the pride and joy of both Quinn and Rachel's worlds. Michael had an optimistic spirit and was full of energy, although shy around new people. He had a beaming smile and couldn't possibly have been in a more loving family.

" _Mikey, can I talk to Mommy for a few minutes? I promise she'll go right back to playing with you after,_ " The brunette requested.

Michael giggled, "Okay! Love you, Mama!" He turned his attention back to his Hot Wheels.

" _Quinn_ ," Rachel became serious.

"Yes, love?" Quinn chirped, feigning innocence.

She rolled her eyes, " _Tomorrow is going to be four weeks_."

"Yes, Rachel, I know. Did you think I forgot?" Quinn replied, "Whatever happens, it will all be okay. If it doesn't come out positive, we can try again, right?"

It had taken a couple tries with Michael, but now, four lovely years later, they were ready go for it again. The couple were ready to have another kid, and they'd decided that Rachel would be carrying the child this time around.

_"I love you and I just_ …" Rachel suddenly turned insecure. " _I don't want to disappoint you_."

Quinn's heart broke at the inaudible tone of voice her wife was using. "You could  _never_ disappoint me. Whether or not it's successful, I'll still be here. Mikey will still be here. Everything will be okay."

" _God, I love you so much. I really want to see you right now._ " The diva whimpered.

"I love you, too," She spoke softly, "Have a great performance tonight. Go, be the star that the whole world knows you are."

Rachel hung up, and the blonde went back to playing with their son.

A few hours later, after Michael had been tucked into bed, Rachel came home to find her wife curled up and asleep on the dark blue love seat. She quietly set her things down and walked over to stand in front of the exhausted blonde. Debating whether or not to wake her up, Rachel decided to drape a blanket over and gently kiss her forehead. Quinn, apparently not fully asleep, hummed and absently waved an arm around in the air. Chuckling, Rachel sat down beside her and ran her fingers through blonde locks.

"Mm, Rach, how was your show?" She mumbled, eyes half-open, half-closed.

"It was great," The singer responded. "You're worn out right now, baby. We can talk in the morning."

Quinn refused, "No... No, we can talk now." She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and pulled the smaller girl into her side. "How-how was your show?"

"You already asked that, Quinn," Rachel laughed softly. "That's what I want to talk about. Look at you, you are absolutely exhausted. And with, possibly, another baby on the way, it's going to be even more work and less hours of sleep."

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows confusedly. "We can-we can handle it."

"I think that I'm going to take some extra time off later on. I mean, besides an eventual maternity leave. We're going to have two kids to take care of, a-and on days when you're working late and I have a show, we can't always be calling Kurt, Noah, Santana, or Brittany for help." Rachel pointed out.

"Yes, I know, but won't you miss it? Performing, I mean."

She thought for a couple seconds. "Of course I'll miss it. But, we have Mikey, and possibly another baby on the way. And, I have you. That's all I really need in life."

The former cheerleader pressed a light kiss against Rachel's temple. Standing up, she grabbed her wife's hand and pulled her up as well, dragging her into their bed.

"I love you," Quinn whispered, once they were both under the covers.

"You too, baby."

...

Rachel was extremely nervous and she didn't know what to do. She'd never been this anxious about something before, except possibly the opening night of her show. And that's how she found herself impatiently pacing back and forth in her dressing room. Quinn and Mikey were supposed to meet her there before her show, so her wife could be there when she took the pregnancy tests. But, she hadn't gotten any word from her at _all_ today, and assumed the worst had happened.

**So sorry, Rach. I got held over at work and traffic's a bitch. Asked Britt and San if they can pick up Michael and go to your show with him. Love you, XO.**  Quinn texted her.

A mere 10 seconds later, her phone began ringing. "Hi, Quinn."

" _Hey, how are you?_ "

"I'm fine, just missing you. Are you-are you gonna make it here in time?" Rachel stuttered nervously.

Quinn replied,  _"I'm not sure, but I'm on the way now, Rach. I'm sorry._ "

"No, it's okay."

" _Hey, baby, you should take the tests before you go on._ " Her wife suggested.

The brunette was confused. "What-why?"

" _You're going to be tired afterward and, like you said yesterday, we need more rest. I'll be there as soon as possible, I promise._  "

"I..." She held the phone tightly to her ear. "I don't want to take it without you."

Quinn noticed her abruptly hushed tone.  _"I'll be there, okay? I'll be there with you before you know it._ "

This was why Rachel loved her wife. "Okay. I'm going to hang up now, only because you're driving and I don't want you to crash."  _Great, now she was picturing Quinn getting hit by a car. Again, like senior year._ "I love you." She spoke tenderly.

" _Love you more,_ " Quinn smiled.

Rachel set down her phone and ran her fingers through her hair in distress. Light taps sounded on her door and she mumbled, "Come in _._ " Small arms found their way around her waist and she chuckled and bent down to embrace her son.

Looking up, Rachel acknowledged her friends. "Santana, Brittany, thanks for picking Mikey up today and bringing him here. I know we ask you for a lot, so thank you."

Brittany beamed, while Santana muttered, "Whatever _,_ " and sat down in the nearest chair. The boy tugged on her mom's hand, to which she carefully kneeled down to be at eye-level with him.

"Yes, Mikey?" Rachel grinned.

"Are you gonna be out-out there tonight?" He asked curiously, pointing to her door. Clearly, he didn't know where the stage was.

"Yeah, I will be out there," The diva spoke endearingly. "You know how Mommy goes to her work before I drop you off at preschool? That is her job, during the day, and this is my job. I go out there and I sing and dance for all of these people."

Michael looked at her, still oh-so-curious. "You do this every day?" Rachel only nodded. "That sounds like fun, Mama! I wanna-I wanna do that when I grow up!"

Brittany and Santana watched the interaction carefully, while Rachel just smiled. She finally got her son interested in the arts.  _He'll be a star when he grows up._ Rachel knew it.

Several minutes passed by, with no further word from her wife, and Rachel began to worry again. She really didn't want to take the pregnancy tests without her. If it was positive, she wanted Quinn there to hug and kiss and celebrate with. And if it was negative,  _God,_ she didn't want to imagine that.

Her phone ping-ponged.  **Please take the tests, baby. Have S or B go with you if you don't want to be alone. I'll be there soon, I promise. And I'm so sorry. Love you.**

She approached the two, one of which was happily chatting with her son, the other looking at a new text message. "Hey, um, would either of you mind-"

"San will go with you. Good luck, Rachel!" Brittany chirped, pushing the Latina towards her. Rachel walked into her personal bathroom, Santana following behind, and pulled the boxes out of a lower drawer.

"Well, here goes nothing."

...

Three short minutes later, Quinn barged into her wife's dressing room, seeing no one in there. Then, Michael came bursting out of the bathroom and into her mother's arms.

"Hi, Mikey! What's up?"

"Mommy!" The boy exclaimed, "Mama said that it's positive!"

Quinn stopped in her tracks and felt her heart skip a couple beats. She looked up to see Rachel standing between Brittany and Santana, arms gently wrapped around herself. Quinn slowly walked towards her wife, while the two other women backed away. She took Rachel's arms and grasped her hands in her own, gazing up into loving, brown eyes. "It's positive?"

Rachel beamed and nodded, and Quinn released her hands to fully envelop the smaller form in front of her. The one  _carrying her child._ She cried tears of joy and leaned back to connect her lips with Rachel's.

They might make mistakes and they may not be perfect, but that wouldn't matter later on. In eight to nine months, the women would have another darling baby to care for and love on, and that's what would matter.  _That_ , and this moment, right now. Because, in their minds, there were no negatives, and everything was just positive _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for fluff. Thanks for reading.


	2. Absolutely Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starts around Quinn, eventual Faberry. Set between seasons 2-3. Beginning is kind of based off of some feelings I've had recently. Enjoy?

**Absolutely Perfect**

Quinn was so tired.

Not tired because she didn't get any sleep the previous night, although that did play a part of it. But she was exhausted.

Tired of trying to be the perfect student. Tired of trying to be the perfect teenage girl. Tired of trying to be the perfect daughter. Tired of trying to live a perfect life.

Quinn had (just barely) managed to have a 4.0 GPA, but it was never enough. She was in pretty good shape, relatively attractive, but it was never enough. Quinn tried her best to be the second perfect Fabray daughter, living up to the pedestal that both her mom and (unintentionally) her sister had placed her on, but it was never enough. She was a shell of her true self, pretending to be someone she wasn't, but it was never enough. And Quinn was exhausted.

Everyone always expected more out of her. Teachers wanted more effort, horny teenage boys wanted her to put out, and her mom wanted her to pretend like sophomore year never happened. Anyone else just wanted nothing but perfection.

No one ever noticed how affected she was by this, because they were too busy focused on their own needs from the former cheerleader. Too engaged in pulling the girl in every direction that no one noticed Quinn's worst tormentor was herself.

She was constantly berating herself for every tiny mistake she made. Always noticing the flaws in everything she did, but no one else. It was just a small mistake, she'd tell herself. It never worked, though.

Every single time Quinn spoke, mental criticisms shot at her from all directions the second she shut her mouth. She used to think that she just believed in herself too much to let her potential go to waste. But the minute she finally phrased that, Quinn knew it was a lie. She had never believed in herself.

On the outside, she almost had as much confidence as Rachel Berry, but that was all fake. Everything about HBIC and intimidating Quinn was just an act. All of the slushies, insults, and threatening glares were just part of a facade.

The real Quinn Fabray was not even herself. The real Quinn was Lucy. Lucy Fabray.

After middle school, Quinn was sure she had left her "Lucy days" in the past. She was moving on. The blonde lost a lot of weight, got rid of her acne, dyed her hair, started wearing contacts, got a nose job, and within two short months, she had become a totally different person. She had become Quinn Fabray. And there was no turning back.

The minute Lauren Zizes had called her Lucy in the hallway, the girl's whole body went numb. After her long speech about how she pretty much stalked Quinn, she finally gave in. But she said that she loved herself, that she did all of those things because she had loved herself. It was really the exact opposite.

When she said that she hated the way she'd looked, that wasn't a lie. The whole story was the truth, but when Lauren accused her of hating herself, she knew she was already too vulnerable to admit that as well. So, Quinn played it over as loving herself so she made herself look better. But that was bullshit.

Quinn hated herself. She despised every little thing, from the dark roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.

"I've been that girl and I'm never going back." She had whispered. "I was a miserable little girl. And now I'm gonna be Prom Queen."

Prom Queen was her last shot at pleasing everyone. It was her last attempt at trying to feel good about herself as well and, like all good things in Quinn's life, it completely backfired.

Of course she couldn't have known that Kurt would get so many write-in votes, but that didn't lessen the hurt.

"This is your fault!" The blonde had shouted at Rachel. "Nobody would have ever voted for me, because they know he would rather be with you!"

"That's not true!" Rachel started, right as Quinn's palm came into contact with her cheek. The brunette had clutched her face in disbelief and Quinn looked horrified with her previous action. She knew that it wasn't true; she didn't win because she was never good enough for them, but the words came spilling out before she'd had half a mind to stop them.

"I'm so sorry."

Quinn cursed herself for being so vulnerable in front of Rachel, but ended up shedding several tears and sharing her fears with her.

"Look, you have nothing to be afraid of. Look, you are a very pretty girl, Quinn. Prettiest girl I've ever met, but," Rachel paused, waiting for the former cheerleader to recreate eye contact. "You're a lot more than that."

It didn't necessarily quell all of her fears, but it didn't go unrecognized either. And that was when Quinn knew that she was even more screwed, because she realized that she was hopelessly and completely falling for the diva. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Jean's funeral happened after that, and the event that occurred just minutes after leaving the funeral home was what finally drew the line.

"Why are you crying?" She asked, scared that she knew the answer to her own question.

"Because I'm breaking up with you." Finn mumbled.

Quinn wasn't even surprised. She knew that it would happen eventually, but she didn't predict exactly when. "Because of Rachel, cause you still love her," It wasn't even a question.

"That feeling that Sue was talking about in there, about being tethered to someone, I-I just... I don't feel that way about you."

The blonde foresaw all of this. And it was because he was still in love with Rachel. The girl that  _she_  was falling for.

"Do you feel anything anymore?" He nearly shouted, voice getting louder. "This is real, this is happening."

Tears streamed down her face, but Quinn wasn't all too sure why. It might have been because she was so used to crying after hearing yelling come from a man's voice.

"Are you happy now? Is this me feeling enough for you?" She choked out, feeling rage but not fully expressing it.

It was all bullshit. Everything in Quinn's life was spiraling down, and the trip to New York was just the cherry on top. She had been so excited to go to New York with her best friends. Little did anyone know, it was always her dream to visit and possibly live in the Big Apple (even before she met Rachel Berry). That or California, whichever got her the hell out of Lima sooner.

Even though her ex-boyfriend would be there, Quinn had the Glee girls and Kurt (by extension) to confide in and make the trip memorable. However, the second she noticed Finn making advances, no matter how small, on Rachel, Quinn knew she was in trouble.

She found out that Finn had taken Rachel out on a date, in the middle of their songwriting session. Normally, the brunette would refuse to go and insist that their work for the competition was much more important, but her "do anything for Finn at the drop of a hat" attitude was back.

"You know what? We get it. You're pissed about Finn dumping your sweet ass. Get over it." Santana had spoken, and Quinn finally snapped.

She raised her voice, getting furious, "I don't wanna get over it, okay?"

"The only person you're sabotaging here is yourself."

"I don't care about some  _stupid_  show choir competition!" Quinn shouted.

"Well, you should, because this is the one chance that we have to actually feel good about ourselves." The Latina replied.

"Aren't we supposed to be the popular girls? So, why can't we have our dreams come true?" Her voice suddenly got much softer. " _She_  has it, Tina has it, even Zizes hooks up."

She backed away, sitting on the bed behind her. Brittany and Santana sat on either side of her.

"I just want somebody to love me."

It was hardly a whisper that came out of her mouth, through the cries that were unwillingly coming out of her. Quinn had finally spoken aloud what had been bugging her for months.

Why couldn't Quinn have a happy ending? Why couldn't she find someone who would love her as much as she loved them? It just wasn't fair.

Finn ended up kissing Rachel during their performance, costing them Nationals. Everyone was beyond angry with them, but Quinn didn't find herself caring that much.

The last day of school came and went, and it was officially summer. The ex-Cheerio didn't really have plans for the break, except for Santana and Brittany showing up unexpectedly to swim in her pool.

She was laying out in her backyard when her phone vibrated.

**Hi.**

The text message was from Rachel. Why in hell was Rachel texting her? Quinn only had her number, because they had exchanged them when preparing their duet weeks ago.

_**Hey**_. She responded.

Immediately, Quinn got a response.  **Would you want to do something today? Like, I don't know, go swimming or something? It's perfectly fine if you're still mad at me about the whole Finn thing.**

_**No, I, um...**_ Quinn found herself stuttering through typing, deleting all of that.  _ **Yeah, I've got a pool in my backyard if you wanted to come over?**_

**If it isn't an inconvenience.**

_**No, it's alright.** _

Ten minutes later, she brought Rachel through the gate to her backyard. The shorter girl began speaking, "This was kind of a spontaneous decision, sorry if I intruded on anything, Quinn. I just-"

"It's fine, don't worry. I didn't really have any plans for today, usually S and B just show up whenever they want to." Quinn smiled.

They sat in silence, and then Rachel blurted. "Finn broke up with me." Quinn looked at her questioningly and she continued. "I mean, he-um, it just took place yesterday."

"What happened?" She wondered, more curious than anything.

"I'm not too sure, myself. He said that things didn't feel how they used to before, you know, all of that." Rachel didn't need to elaborate more for Quinn to understand what she meant. "I don't really know why that led me here, I mean, you're probably the last person that would want to talk about this with me."

"No, I think that might be Santana." The former cheerleader laughed lightly. "You don't seem too upset about it."

Rachel took a breath. "I didn't think we would last very long, anyway. He knew that I wouldn't let anyone or anything stand between New York and me. Besides, I've started to have feelings for someone else now."

"Oh?" That got her attention.

"Yeah," She trailed off. "How about you? Any special people you've got your eye on?"

_Yes._  "No, not really."  _You can't lie to her._  "Well, I mean, there's this one person that I think I've liked for a while, but I'm just now realizing it."

"Tell me about them," Rachel smiled obliviously.

"What do you want to know?"

"The basic stuff. Do they have nice eyes?"

"Yes, definitely." Quinn stared into them.

"Smile? Hair? Are they cute?" The brunette giggled.

"Gorgeous smile. Lovely hair. She-They're beautiful. What about yours?"

Rachel met her eyes, seeming like she was observing them. " _She_  has amazing eyes a-and a huge smile that rarely shows, most of the time when she's laughing her adorable laugh. She has lovely hair as well, although she got it cut recently and no one's quite sure why."

Rachel was leaning closer, and Quinn's breath hitched. "Maybe she need an, uh, a change."

Their foreheads pressed together and the blonde's eyelids fluttered shut in anticipation. Rachel whispered, "Yeah, maybe."

Rachel closed the distance between their lips and everything around them faded away. All that existed was her and Rachel and nothing else mattered. The diva captured her bottom lip, gently sucking on it, and Quinn forgot everything.

The gate might have opened and Brittany and Santana might have entered her backyard, but she wasn't really sure. All she was fully aware of was the pair of soft lips attached to hers.

Quinn slowly, reluctantly pulled back, resting their foreheads together, and let out a deep breath against Rachel's mouth.

Santana laughed, "Aye, Tubs, save it for your pillow," At the same time, Brittany cheered, "Yay, Q!"

"Hey, you know that girl I was talking about?" Rachel whispered, picking up conversationally and meeting her eyes.

Quinn nodded and, in that moment, she realized it didn't matter that she wouldn't get her happy ending. Instead, she got to start over and that was better than anything.

"Quinn, let me tell you something about this girl. She's absolutely perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, then. This was supposed to be much more angsty, but I wanted to get it over with, so this happened.


	3. Merry Christmas

**Merry Christmas**

It was Christmas Eve and Rachel was sitting in the bedroom of her childhood home, scrolling through pictures of her girlfriend on her phone. In their shared apartment in New York, old pictures from high school; you name it, Rachel had it. While the brunette was back in Lima for winter break, the blonde was in Chicago, having flown out a few days prior.

The girls, in their final year of college, planned on visiting their parents (Rachel's dads, Quinn's mom), as well as many of their friends from Glee that were coming back as well. They had just finished celebrating Rachel's birthday and two days later, Quinn had gotten called for a meeting in Chicago, possibly offering her a job.

"Quinn, just go. It should only be a day or two, right? You'll be back before Christmas." Rachel had reasoned, now regretting it.

The taller girl refused, "I don't need to. If it is a job offering, wouldn't the job be in Chicago? I wouldn't stay in Chicago while you're in New York. Plus, I want to spend as much time as possible with you, your dads, and my mom, all together."

"You can't turn this opportunity down, Quinn. This could be something huge for you! Please go, I'll be here for you when you get back. I'm not going anywhere."

The blonde left the next day, having meetings on the twenty-first, twenty-second, and twenty-third, and bought plane tickets for an early flight on the twenty-fourth. Snow began pouring down the night previous and continued into Christmas Eve.

" _The flight got canceled because of all the snow, Rach_." Quinn softly spoke into the phone. " _They're not setting a definite rescheduled time, because it could still be bad tomorrow. I'm so sorry_."

"You're... not gonna be here?" Tears formed in the diva's eyes.

" _I don't know, baby. I am so, so sorry_."

Small cries racked Rachel's body and Quinn immediately tried soothing her. " _No, no, Rachel, don't cry. I love you, it's going to be okay. Please, don't cry_."

The brunette sniffled, halting her tears, and her girlfriend breathed a sigh of relief. "I just really want you to be here." Rachel whispered, clutching her phone tightly to her ear.

" _I'll be there before you know it, okay? I promise. For now, can you do me a favor? Go downstairs, sit with your dads, and tell them what's happening. I'm about to call my mom, and I think she'd like some company, so invite her over if you'd like to. Enjoy your sixth day of Hanukkah, and Christmas Eve, even though I can't be there right now_."

Rachel smiled. "Quinn?" She waited for a hum in response. "I love you so much."

" _I love you too, Rach. So much. I'll see you soon._ " Quinn beamed, despite the circumstance.

Rachel met her dads in the family room, explaining what happened with Quinn, and asked if they could invite her mom over. They, of course, agreed, and Judy was ringing their doorbell, just fifteen minutes later.

"Hi, Ms. Fabray!" The diva greeted, pulling the older woman into a spontaneous hug.

"Rachel, hello, and, for the millionth time, call me Judy, please! You're making me feel old!"

Rachel laughed, taking the woman's jacket and leading her to the family room. Her dads immediately began conversing with Judy and she felt the familiar ache for Quinn to be there with them. She knew Judy must have been feeling the same, after shooting her a sympathetic look while her fathers were deep in conversation.

Hours passed, dinner was served (receiving many compliments from Judy on Leroy's cooking), and they were all sitting on the sofa, while the brunette sat on the love seat, near the Christmas tree and menorah. Rachel longed for the feeling of her girlfriend curled up next to her, the many times they had done before on the seat. She suddenly got an idea and pulled out her phone.

**Do you think we could Skype, or something? You brought your laptop, right?**

A few minutes after firing out her message, she got a response.  _ **I don't think I can. Even though I'm at a hotel, it's getting late and I'm on the verge of falling asleep. Had a long day today. I'm really sorry, Rachel. Please tell everyone I say hello.**_

**Oh, it's okay. I love you, Q.**

_**Love you, baby.** _

"Rachel, are you talking to Quinn?" Hiram asked gently.

"Yeah, I-um..." Rachel bit her lip. "I was going to see if she could Skype, or something, but she's had a long day already, so she's going to sleep. She says hello."

Judy eyed her fathers, before smiling graciously at the girl. "God, we can hope that Quinn can get a flight tomorrow."

"Yeah..." The diva warily smiled.

Leroy, Hiram, and Judy continued to talk, while Rachel went through her pictures again, smiling and laughing to herself at the memories. Some even dated back to sophomore year of high school, when the girls weren't necessarily on the best of terms with one another. Those pictures were with a couple different members of the Glee club.

Rachel scrolled through photo after photo of her girlfriend, mostly random, candid ones that she took without the blonde being aware of it. She realized how photogenic Quinn was about halfway through and never failed to recognize it after that.

God, Rachel loved her. She was head over heels in love with the blonde. It was quite ridiculous, actually.

Anyone who passed by them in the streets or at the mall, or any place for that matter, could see it. The sparkle in those brown eyes whenever they saw Quinn's, the content looks on their faces when in each other's proximities. The two girls were madly in love, there was no doubt about it.

And that was why at two in the morning, Rachel woke up, feeling the bed dip in behind her and small kisses being placed on her cheek and neck. She was mildly confused, still not fully awake, and flipped over. Right into Quinn.

A massive grin overtook the brunette's face and she squealed and wrapped her arms around her lover. She pressed kisses to her forehead, then nose, cheeks, jaw, and finally her lips. Her mouth collided with the blonde's, relishing the feeling after not having it for days.

Rachel's voice was shaky as she spoke. "God, I missed you so much. I-I thought-"

"Shh, Rach, I'm here now. That's all that matters. I'll explain later." Quinn whispered into her ear.

She nodded, placing a few more kisses to her lips, and let the blonde hold her as they drifted off to sleep.

Later in the morning, Rachel woke up, immediately smiling when she felt the pair of warm arms wrapped around herself. She pressed light kisses to her girlfriend's lips, squealing when she felt the arms pull her closer to Quinn.

Soft knocks sounded from the door, causing both girls to sit up, the shorter one muttering, "Come in,"

Judy barged in the room, setting two plates on Rachel's old desk, and sat on the foot of the bed. "Merry Christmas, darlings! And happy seventh day of Hanukkah, Rachel!" She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Quinn's cheek and embracing both of them.

The diva looked at Quinn questioningly, before shifting her gaze to the girl's mother. "Did you know she was coming, Judy?"

The older woman was silent, making it obvious what the answer was. Rachel gasped dramatically and playfully slapped the blonde's shoulder. "Quinn Fabray! How dare you not tell me that you were coming? I'll bet you told my fathers as well!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise, Rach. I couldn't Skype last night since I was driving and-"

"You drove here through all of the harsh snow?" Rachel interrupted.

"Um, yeah." Quinn stated obviously. "I found a rental company that was nationwide, so they said I could rent the car there and return it here. How else would I have gotten here?"

The brunette pouted. The option of driving hadn't even occurred to her. She was about to speak when the door flew open, once again.

"Quinn! What a... surprise to see you!" Hiram boomed. Leroy faked confusion as to why the blonde was there.

The aforementioned girl shrugged. "Don't bother, she already knows."

Rachel huffed and Quinn quickly pressed a kiss to her cheek, lightening her spirits. Judy suddenly remembered why she had gone up to their room in the first place and reached over to grab the plates she brought with her.

"We'll leave you two," Leroy smiled at the couple. "Merry Christmas, girls." The three parents exited the room.

Rachel and Quinn ate their breakfasts, tofu scramble for Rachel and bacon and eggs for Quinn, and enjoyed one another's company. The girls showered, separately, got dressed, and met their parents back downstairs to exchange presents.

Throughout the whole morning, Quinn fiddled with the small, black box in her pocket, encasing a newly purchased ring, but didn't once pull it out. It had to be the right moment.

...

The older members of the New Directions that had come back to Lima for the holidays were all meeting up at Puck's house, after dinner with their respective families. Rachel and Quinn were the first to arrive, shortly followed by everyone else.

Everyone was in the backyard, in various states of inebriation. Both girls were nursing a glass of wine, not wanting to get too intoxicated and make fools of themselves. The others were not as restrictive.

A few hours later, Rachel took in her surroundings. Mercedes, Tina, Kurt, and Blaine were singing, rather massacring, every song that came on the radio. Noah, Finn, Sam, and Mike were engaged in a very drunken game of ping pong, with Artie as the referee, which-really? They needed a referee for  _ping pong_?

The two former Cheerios walked, or stumbled, over to Rachel and Quinn. "Merry whatever the hell you celebrate, Berry." Santana slurred, leaning onto her blonde counterpart for support.

The diva laughed into her girlfriend's shoulder. "Thank you, Santana. You, as well."

"You know, I always knew you two would end up together." Brittany stated. No one questioned her.

The Latina nodded in agreement. "You guys had  _so_  much sexual tension in high school."

Rachel and Quinn both flushed, when the latter tugged on the former's hand. She led them out to the Puckermans' front porch. The girls sat down on the small bench that was out there.

"Why are we out here, baby?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shrugged, "I just wanted a couple minutes with you, alone."

Rachel nodded and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. Quinn knew that this was the moment she had been waiting for. She took a deep breath and slowly lowered herself to the ground, on one knee. The brunette watched her movements curiously.

The blonde started nervously, "I-I don't, um, really quite know how to start this, because this was kind of spontaneous and-"

"Quinn, what-" Rachel interrupted, shock apparent on her face.

"Rachel," Quinn took one of her hands into her own. "I'm-I'm honestly amazed when I look at you. I am, really, not just because of your looks, but because of the fact that everything I've ever wanted is right in front of me. When you look at me, my heart stops. When our hands touch, it sends a shock throughout my whole body. When you kiss me, God, words can't describe it."

Tears began streaming down the shorter girl's cheeks, and the taller girl continued. "Words can't describe how I feel about you, Rach. You're my everything and I would want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.

"I-I know this isn't the most romantic setting or anything, but I don't mind, and I really hope you don't mind it either." Rachel giggled, shaking her head. Her hand that wasn't entwined with Quinn's was covering her mouth, containing her sobs. "I love you so much, Rachel. It's quite pathetic, actually, but I don't care. I'm hopelessly in love with you, and I would be honored if you would take my name and become my wife."

The blonde pulled the small box out from her pocket, flicking it open. She held it out with one hand, gently squeezing Rachel's hand with the other. "Rachel Barbra Berry, will you marry me?"

Quinn really wasn't sure what had come out of her mouth in the past two minutes. All she knew were those deep, brown eyes that were spilling tears and the joy flickering in them. Rachel nodded repeatedly and fell to her knees in front of Quinn, capturing her lips in a passion-filled kiss. They met with lust, adoration, and love.

Rachel pulled back slightly, only to murmur, "Yes, of course, I'll marry you." She reattached her lips to the pair in front of hers, emotions pouring into the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too. So much. Merry Christmas, Rach."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for reading.


	4. Just an Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based off the prompt: "Imagine your OTP is in an acting class together. To learn the importance of delivery of lines, they are paired up to say "I love you" in the most meaningful way they can in front of the class. Bonus: They haven't interacted before that assignment."

**Just an Act**

"Alright, today we're focusing on one of the most important aspects to the true portrayal of a character. Anyone have any ideas of what it might be?"

Quinn loved acting. Any chance to be anyone but herself was a chance she was willing to take. But, there were some times where she hated parts of it. Including times like this, in her Intro to Acting Class, when everyone was an idiot.

They had gone over pretty much everything, from how to get into the mindset of your character to memorization. The only possible topic left was the delivery of lines; how to properly say your lines to make them seem real and not scripted. To make the audience feel all of the emotions.

As usual, everyone in the class avoided eye contact with the professor, besides one student. The girl who, predictably, had her hand straight up in the air, almost to the point of waving it around in impatience. Her name was Rachel. Rachel Berry.

Quinn had never spoken directly to the girl, but she knew all about her. The five foot two diva with the voice of an angel. The girl who could speak for hours about ACLU, and, God, don't even get her started on Barbra Streisand. The brunette who had big dreams to star on Broadway, and how attending NYU was her first step.

"Anyone, besides Rachel? Jordan? Nate?" The professor asked. Her eyes looked over to Quinn, who was writing the answer in her notebook. "Quinn?"

The blonde's eyes shot up from her notes to look at her professor. Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest. "The, uh, the delivery of lines?" She replied anxiously.

"Thank you! Someone else who has been paying attention in this class. I've only been mentioning this for weeks." The teacher quipped sarcastically.

Quinn's eyes went back to her paper, retrieving her pencil and writing down every word the professor spoke. She heard everyone around her scrambling to get a pen and take notes as well. It wasn't until there was silence that Quinn realized that a question had been asked.

"Would anyone like to provide a demonstration for the class?"

In the front row, a hand rose up instantly, belonging to Rachel. She walked up to stand next to the teacher and was about to start speaking when the professor announced she would get a partner to act with.

The teacher surveyed the swarm of students, each pair of eyes trying to find a safe spot that was anywhere but where she was. Quinn prayed to God that she would choose anyone but-

"Quinn," Fucking hell. "Would you mind providing an example with Rachel?"

She didn't say anything, but slowly set her things down on her seat and made her way to the front of the class. Quinn stood awkwardly, playing with her hands in front of her. Next to her, Rachel was listening attentively to the professor.

"Okay girls, I want you to say 'I love you' to one another, in the most sincere and real way as possible." A few snickers were heard around the room. "Love is one of the most important emotions to portray as an actor. Make sure you say it in a way that we can all feel the meaning of what you're saying."

Was she serious? Quinn had never even spoken to Rachel, and now the first words she was going to say to her were "I love you"? What a great way to make a first impression. Whatever, it's just an act.

Quinn conjured up all of the emotion she had in her. She thought about her sister, whom she loved dearly. She thought about her mom, who, despite her mistakes, she loved and cared for. She thought about her daughter, Beth, whom Quinn loved more than anything in the entire world.

She kept all of this in her mind and looked up into Rachel's eyes, putting all of it on display. And then she was stuck.

Because whatever emotions and feelings Quinn thought she was currently portraying were trumped by the sheer amount of love in Rachel's expression.

"I love you, Quinn."

The diva's eyes were filled with such intense emotion, Quinn almost had to blink her eyes to contain herself. Rachel had a look of desperation on her face, as if she was about to beg her to love her back. And Quinn felt it. She felt all of it. Even if it was just an act.

"I love you, too." She breathed out.

It wasn't planned to be spoken like that. It wasn't even acting. It was Quinn being overwhelmed by Rachel's whole persona and responding in the way that would be expected. Echoing the same phrase, simply because all other words failed her.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, before the teacher interrupted to applaud their acting. The connection was immediately broken and Quinn quickly retreated to her seat to pack up her stuff and get the hell out of that classroom before she exploded. Everyone else had left and she was about to leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she came face to face with none other than Rachel, who had an unidentifiable spark in her eye.

"Hey, Quinn?" Rachel searched her face for any signs of discomfort. "I just wanted to tell you that I think you're a great actress. Not just based on your simple utterance of four words earlier; that would be absurd. But for the other presentations and demonstrations throughout the year, you've been spectacular in all of them. A-and, I mean, I would know. I'd like to think I am a fairly good actress myself, though not nearly as talented as my singing."

Quinn was shocked. At a loss for words. The girl who had just stunned her into a trance earlier with her ability was praising her for her acting.

"Oh, um, thank you. You're an amazing actor, too." Quinn cursed herself for stuttering, feeling her face redden.

Rachel smiled at the apparent flush on her cheeks. "I have this audition for a student film coming up soon, and my roommate is incredibly tired of hearing my repetition of the script, so I was wondering if you'd maybe be able to run lines with me once or twice? It's a lot different being able to act with someone else than just by yourself, as I'm sure you already know."

"Sure, of course."

Quinn's reply was instant. She'd be stupid to not take the opportunity to act with the girl again and possibly even hear her sing.

Rachel's smile grew even bigger.

Maybe acting class wasn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sickeningly sweet. Hope you liked it.


	5. Don't You Wanna Dance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never taken dance classes before, so forgive me.

**Don't You Wanna Dance?**

_I've been in love and I've lost my senses,_   
_Spinning through the town,_   
_Sooner or later the fever ends,_   
_And I wind up feeling down._

Quinn walked into her biweekly dance class and began doing her stretches. It wasn't until she finished that she noticed the new addition to her class. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

In the center of the room, poised and confident as ever, was Rachel Berry. Rachel Berry, who was currently engaged in a conversation with the rest of the girls and few boys in the class. Rachel Berry, whose bag was in the corner with the rest, and Quinn only knew it as hers because of the large gold star on the side of it. Rachel Berry, who had spotted the blonde, and was now walking towards her.

"Hello, Quinn! I did not expect to see you, but it's a pleasure, nonetheless."

Quinn carried on with her stretches, not making eye contact with the brunette. "Berry, what are you doing here?"

"Is it not obvious? I take dance lessons here now, rather than with my old company." Rachel spoke while changing into her ballet slippers.

"And why is that?"

Rachel was about to respond, when their dance instructor called out for their attention. She walked towards the forming group, Quinn following not too far behind.

"Listen up. If you didn't notice already, we have a new student, Rachel." The young instructor, Alison, gestured towards the aforementioned girl. "Unfortunately, we're starting a new number today, so we'll have to catch her up some other time. This dance is going to be done mainly in partners, so everyone partner up."

The girls and boys easily got into pairs, which left Rachel and Quinn standing by themselves. The former gladly stepped over to stand next to the latter.

"This will be a typical, slower dance for each pair. There will be a few difficult lifts in it. Boys, you will perform the lifts, and girls that are in pairs, you will have to decide who will do them. Let's start off with something easy." Alison explained. She demonstrated a simple move with one of the boys. Everyone began practicing the move with their partners.

"I guess I'll be leading." Quinn muttered, much to her chagrin. "Care to fill me in on why you switched dance companies?"

Rachel grinned, delighted that the ex-cheerleader was making conversation. "Similar to Glee club, they didn't appreciate my talent. No one in my class put a lot of effort into their routines. I heard that this studio was much more advanced and had much more dedicated performers than my old one."

Quinn was silent, so the diva continued. "Why are you here? I never knew you took ballet."

"I like to dance." Quinn replied. Short and simple. It was a defense technique, Rachel noticed.

"Hmm, okay. You know, the other girls said that you're very talented. Best dancer here." Rachel smiled at the flush that appeared on the girl's cheeks. "How come you never say anything about it in Glee?"

"I'm not nearly as good as Brittany or Mike. Besides, there hasn't really been an opportunity. All I've taken is ballet and we'd never get any of the guys to agree to that for a competition, so there was no point."

The girls transitioned into basic moves, showing each other what they could do and possibly work into the routine.

"That's nonsense, Quinn."

"It's not nonsense. It's all true."

"No, it isn't true. You're a great dancer and singer." Rachel did a double pirouette, gesturing for Quinn to do the same. "I would be more than willing to help you with something to perform in Glee, you know, as long as you didn't upstage me."

The taller girl stared at Rachel for a second, before mumbling, honestly. "I could never upstage you."

Rachel instantly blushed and watched Quinn glide around the room. She had a certain delicacy about her; the way she moved so gracefully and swiftly when she danced. Rachel was intrigued by it.

The other pairs stopped to watch Quinn as well. The dance instructor had a subtle smile on her face as the blonde maneuvered across the floor. It didn't take too long for Quinn to notice everyone's attention on her and she stopped, cheeks red, and returned to Rachel's side.

"I think you just did." Rachel grinned.

Suddenly, Quinn took Rachel's hand and spun her around twice, letting go as she twirled the second time. "Think you can keep up, Berry?"

"Try me."

The two girls proceeded to dance together, Quinn leading, and had the most fun they'd had in a while. They improvised off of each other flawlessly; to anyone else it would have seemed like a choreographed number. Their chemistry was undeniable (to everyone but the girls themselves).

Rachel loved dancing with Quinn. She loved waiting in anticipation to see which way the girl would move next, or laughing giddily when Quinn might mistakenly falter in her movements. In Finn, Puck, or even Jesse, these things might bother her, but with Quinn, they were just plain adorable.

Class ended and everyone left, leaving Quinn, who had just dipped Rachel. The brunette found herself staring into captivating hazel eyes, which were filled with an emotion she couldn't quite identify. Quinn immediately lifted her back up, releasing her and running a hand through her hair. She raced to start packing her belongings up.

"Hey, Quinn?" Rachel couldn't stop herself from asking.

She muttered, changing into her tennis shoes, "Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you might be able to stay after school one day this week to help me catch up on some of the dances? I-I realize that you may have other plans or you may just be uninterested, but I would truly appreciate it if you-"

"If it saves me from a lecture on how you might fall behind in class and your future career will be ruined, then, sure." Quinn met her eyes, briefly, and then left the room.

As Rachel packed up her things, she was certain of two things.

Quinn Fabray was gorgeous, and Rachel was falling for her.

...

Rachel knew this was a bad idea from the moment Quinn walked into the auditorium that afternoon. She had been a nervous wreck for the past two days, wondering how this would go and if Quinn would even show up. She sighed in relief when the aforementioned girl walked through the side entrance to the auditorium and made her way up the stairs.

"Sorry I'm late. Coach Sylvester wanted to speak to me about something." She apologized.

"No, that's okay." Rachel was practically shaking with anxiety. "So, you're-um, you're rejoining the Cheerios?"

"God, no," Quinn laughed at the idea, which puzzled Rachel. "She talked to me about joining again, and, as tempted as I was, I decided not to. I loved the status and the HBIC role, but I don't want to go back to the head space I was in last year. Worrying about everything I eat, everything I say; it was too much stress."

"Oh," Rachel was speechless. "I-I never realized how much energy that must have taken."

Quinn ignored her comment and changed into her ballet slippers, starting to stretch. Rachel quickly followed suit, making sure to take a mental note of the other girl's warm-up techniques.

After warming up, the girls wasted no time and hopped right into it. Quinn began to teach Rachel some of the dances and, within an hour, Rachel had mastered almost all of them. Quinn was shocked by how easily Rachel learned things; how she could watch Quinn perform a move and replicate it within seconds. There were still a few kinks here and there but, overall, Rachel had accomplished a lot more than Quinn had expected.

They switched to working on the duet they had previously been working on in class. The girls practiced different types of lifts, as they would need to get comfortable with each other to be able to do them.

At the end of one particular dance to a song Quinn had randomly selected from her phone, Quinn caught Rachel off-guard and lifted the smaller girl up in front of herself as high as she could and held her there. Slowly, the blonde brought Rachel down, her back pressed to Quinn's front.

Rachel could feel Quinn's heart pounding in her chest, and she gradually turned her head around, seeing Quinn's face, not even inches away from hers. Quinn's eyes drifted down to Rachel's lips, then shot back up to her eyes. Beads of sweat were dripping down both of their faces, caused by exhaustion from dancing.

Rachel glanced down at Quinn's mouth, and, suddenly, said mouth was on hers. She immediately registered the feeling of soft lips gently caressing her own, which brought indescribable pleasure to both girls. Rachel tilted her head to get a better angle and parted her lips to match Quinn's kisses. The taller girl inhaled deeply through her nose, and Rachel could swear she heard the tiniest of moans come from her. Quinn's hands remained stubbornly at her hips, but just as Rachel twisted to wrap her arms around her neck, the blonde pulled away.

Quinn took a step backwards and stared at Rachel, who was nervously chewing on her bottom lip. That instantly drew Quinn's attention back to Rachel's lips and she shook her head rapidly, before stumbling over her next few words.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't… I-" Quinn cut herself off, turned to grab her bags, and ran out of the auditorium.

"Quinn, wait!" Rachel called, but she had already left.

...

Rachel pulled into Quinn's driveway and noticed that only Quinn's car was there, which meant that her mom wasn't home yet. She hurriedly left her car and ran up to the door, but stopped there. Waves of apprehension hit her all at once. What if Quinn didn't want her there? She obviously ran away for a reason.

The brunette's desire for Quinn overcame her fears, and she raised her hand to ring the doorbell, just as the door opened. Behind it stood a tear-stained Quinn with unkempt hair and an unidentifiable gleam in her eyes.

"Berry, what are you doing here?" Quinn asked defensively, attempting to tame her disheveled hair.

"I… I wanted to see you," Rachel inwardly cringed at how cheesy that must have sounded. "May I come in?"

Quinn didn't say anything, just opened the door wider and stepped aside. Rachel entered the home and was flabbergasted by the lack of family photographs and mementos that her own home was filled with. The house just looked so bland. However, she realized that was not the reason why she was here and turned to face Quinn, who looked nervous.

Rachel spoke quietly and gently. "Hey, I just want to talk about a few things, okay? That's it. Would that be alright with you?"

Quinn, once again, said nothing, but grabbed Rachel's hand and led her up the stairs and into a bedroom, which Rachel assumed to be Quinn's. The diva immediately spotted a keyboard in the corner of the room, along with a guitar hanging on the wall.

"You play guitar and piano?" Rachel wondered excitedly, grinning brighter than the sun.

The blonde replied nonchalantly, "I took piano lessons for a few years when I was younger, and I've just been teaching myself a few things since then. I'd always wanted to learn guitar, but my father never let me. When I lived with Puck last year, he taught me a few chords on the guitar, and my mom bought me an acoustic when I moved back in as sort of an apology for everything last year. I've been teaching myself since that happened. I'm not very good, though."

Rachel was always surprised by Quinn's humility, considering their past. "I'm sure you're amazing at both. Could you play something for me?" Rachel shyly requested.

Quinn silently debated her options in her head, before turning her keyboard on and sitting down in front of it. "Only if you sing along, Berry."

She began to play the opening notes to Just Give Me a Reason and Rachel smiled and started singing when the entrance came. She watched Quinn play the keyboard, how her fingers moved so elegantly, much like her body when she danced. God, was there anything this girl couldn't do?

Quinn surprised her when she sang the second verse instead of letting Rachel come in, and Rachel nearly melted at the sound of Quinn's soothing alto. They sang the chorus together and alternated lines during the bridge, as it is on the original track. Once the song was over, Rachel looked at Quinn, who was staring intently at the keyboard. She waited for a few moments, before letting out a frustrated sigh. The blonde immediately turned to her at the noise.

"Quinn, I can't stand this-this awkwardness and hesitation between us. We sang a very romantic song together and you kissed me earlier and I just despise not knowing where I stand with people, especially you." Rachel rambled, carefully observing Quinn's reactions. "Do you have feelings for me? Because I'm fairly sure that I have them for you and-"

Quinn interrupted, "Do you want to know why I joined dance?"

"You're avoiding my question!"

"No, it all relates. I promise. This is going to be long, so prepare yourself." Rachel nodded and Quinn continued to speak. "This summer, I really took time to learn things about myself. Things I didn't know and things I knew, but didn't want to accept. What I told you the other day was true; I do like to dance, but that's not the only reason I started taking classes. One of the things I learned this summer was that I need some sort of physical activity in my weekly schedule to blow off some steam. I wasn't a typically athletic child, but I realized that I was very fond of taking walks when I was younger to help me relieve some of my stress. That has now carried its way into my teenage years, except now it is sports. Without cheerleading, dance was the perfect way to do that.

"Another reason I joined was to lose the weight I had gained from my pregnancy. I won't get into it, but I'll just say that I had terribly low self-esteem after I gave birth and that led to one awful week of constant exercise, hardly one meal a day, and barely any sleep, until my mom noticed and had an intervention."

Rachel's heart ached at the thought of Quinn seeing herself as anything but perfect, and she spoke up about it. "Quinn, you are so beautiful and I'm so sorry that you can't see that as easily as I can."

The taller girl flushed and shook her head, before speaking. "The final reason that I started dance, which I didn't even know at the time and didn't truly realize until about a month ago, was the subconscious idea that it might impress you. I know it sounds stupid, and it probably is, but you've always been so astounding at singing and dancing. I thought that, since I knew I'd never be nearly as talented of a singer as you, if I could attempt to improve my dancing skills, you might notice and take more of an interest in me. It seems awful and completely conceited and I'm sorry that I treated you like-"

"No, stop, Quinn. It's okay and I find it entirely adorable that you would want to impress me. If we're being honest, I do find you incredibly attractive when you dance, or do anything you're passionate about." Rachel confessed, watching Quinn, yet again, turn all different shades of pink and red. The brunette smiled to herself and grabbed Quinn's hands, holding them tightly, sitting down on the seat next to her.

"About halfway through the summer, I ultimately accepted that I wasn't straight. That was probably the biggest thing I learned about myself this summer. Once I knew I wasn't straight, it took me a while to put a label to it, but I eventually acknowledged that I am gay. I came out to my mom a few weeks later and she was completely supportive of me, which surprised me beyond belief." Quinn paused to take a deep breath and looked Rachel straight in the eyes. "I don't really know how you feel about me, Rachel, but I like you. I have liked you since we met in freshman year when you complimented my shirt in English class on the first day of school. I am so, so,  _so_ sorry for how I treated you the remainder of that year and during sophomore year. I have no excuses besides the fact that I was a closeted lesbian who was too scared to accept her own feelings and I took that out on you, which I had no right to do."

Rachel hesitated for a moment to reflect on what Quinn had just told her. She replied, "You are forgiven. I want you to know that while I was hurt by how you treated me, I can now understand why you were doing it. Also, I like you, too."

Quinn looked down bashfully, smiling to herself, and Rachel felt a wave of attraction hit her at Quinn's adorable expression. Rachel found her gaze drifting down to the blonde's lips and immediately blushed. Quinn noticed the diva's pink cheeks and watched Rachel's eyes with curiosity, as they slowly moved down to her lips, then shot straight back up. The brunette's blush only intensified when she realized that Quinn was watching her.

"I really want to kiss you." Rachel admitted, blatantly staring at her lips and evading her eyes.

Quinn licked her lips, feeling her heart beat faster in her chest. She gripped Rachel's hands tighter in her own and whispered, "Then do it."

Rachel leaned forward, tilted her head, and gently captured Quinn's bottom lip between her own. She kissed her hesitantly, as if she were afraid of rejection. Quinn complied for a few seconds, before releasing her lips, inhaling deeply, and fiercely reattaching her mouth to Rachel's. Rachel instantly moaned her approval and they kissed for a few more moments, both pulling back at the same time. The girls rested their foreheads against one another's and were gasping deeply for air.

Quinn took a deep breath and locked eyes with Rachel. "Go out with me?"

"Of course." Rachel smiled and kissed Quinn again. They kissed timidly and sweetly this time, until Quinn's bedroom door open and the girls froze.

"Quinnie, how was your-Oh, gosh, I'm sorry!" Judy Fabray grinned knowingly at the girls, who were now standing up with three feet between them. Rachel was mortified; her cheeks turned deep red and she stared at the ground. Quinn was embarrassed as well, but not nearly as much as Rachel was.

The younger blonde cleared her throat and spoke calmly, yet nervously, "Mom, this is Rachel Berry. Rachel, this is my mom, Judy."

The brunette stepped forward, slowly dragging her vision up from the floor to meet Judy's warm blue eyes and reached a hand out to Judy, which she took eagerly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Fabray."

Judy replied sincerely, "You as well, Rachel. And it's Judy."

Quinn observed as her lively, animated Rachel became quiet and withdrawn around her mother. She knew Rachel would be bouncing off the walls right now if she could, because of all of her pent up energy from this whole exchange.

"Well, I'll get out of your hair now." Judy started to leave the room.

"Wait! Mom, I need to tell you something." Quinn glanced to Rachel for permission, who only nodded slightly. The former cheerleader grasped the brunette's smaller hand in her own, interlacing their fingers, and turned to lock eyes with her mother. "Rachel and I are dating."

Judy looked at the girls' hands excitedly and gushed, "Oh my, finally! I mean, um, that's great for you girls. And totally fine with me, Quinn."

"Could Rachel stay for dinner tonight?" Quinn asked, immediately receiving a nod from her mom. "If you want to, of course, Rachel."

"I would love to, but I'm a vegan. Would that be a problem?"

"Not at all." Judy assured. "Quinnie has informed me of this several times, when she sometimes just can't stop talking about you."

Rachel smirked and Quinn blushed to her ears at her mom's not-so-subtle teasing. Judy informed them that dinner should be ready in about an hour and left the room. At hearing the door close, both girls let out sighs that they were not aware they were holding in.

"Well, now that  _that's_  over with…" Rachel began, meeting Quinn's confused gaze. "Can't stop talking about me, huh?"

Quinn flushed, before quickly composing herself and staring back at Rachel. "What can I say? You're pretty addictive."

It was Rachel's turn to blush and she watched curiously as Quinn plugged her phone into a small speaker system. A familiar, rhythmic song intro came out of the speakers and Rachel grinned as the blonde turned around, offering a hand out to the brunette.

"Dance with me?" Quinn asked playfully.

"I thought you'd never ask."

_Oh, I wanna dance with somebody,_   
_I wanna feel the heat with somebody,_   
_Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody,_   
_With somebody who loves me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics are from I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston, and the duet they sang was Just Give Me a Reason by P!ink feat. Nate Ruess, neither of which I own the rights to. Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr: @inimitabler


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